Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol "Still Unacceptable"... Absent from Disciplinary Committee Amid Illegality Controversy

Yoon's Side: "Any Fraud or Illegal Acts Will Definitely Be Recorded"... On Witness No-Show, "We Will Request Re-Summoning"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol decided not to attend the second disciplinary committee meeting on the 15th, stating that he "still cannot accept" the disciplinary committee procedure. After leaving work the previous day, Yoon discussed attendance with his lawyers and maintained his position that the disciplinary discussion against him is still "unfair and illegal."

The disciplinary committee meeting to determine the final disciplinary level for Prosecutor General Yoon began at 10:34 a.m. at the Gwacheon Ministry of Justice building. Yoon's legal representative, lawyer Lee Wankyu, told reporters before attending, "It is a fundamental principle of modern rule of law that the adjudicators must be composed as fairly as possible," adding, "We will do our best to prove innocence to the fullest extent." Disciplinary committee members, including Jung Hanjung, Dean of the Graduate School of Law at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Ahn Jin, Professor at the Graduate School of Law at Chonnam National University, entered the meeting room avoiding reporters, as they did during the first disciplinary committee on the 10th.

The second disciplinary committee meeting on this day was scheduled to begin with a declaration of resumption, followed by the presentation of Prosecutor General Yoon's side's position on the composition of the disciplinary committee. The previous day, Yoon's side submitted a written opinion requesting the committee to be composed of seven members by utilizing reserve personnel.

Accordingly, it is highly likely that a motion to disqualify Dean Jung Hanjung, who serves as the chairman, will be filed. Lawyer Lee explained, "Controversies such as his experience as a director of a Ministry of Justice supervised agency are also among the reasons for disqualification," adding, "Above all, he was appointed after the disciplinary request and is someone who reflects the minister's intentions, and there are concerns about fairness due to remarks showing prejudgment regarding political neutrality."

However, Prosecutor General Yoon's position is that he will not refuse the disciplinary committee itself. According to lawyer Lee, although Yoon remained silent after receiving the list of disciplinary committee members immediately after the start of the first disciplinary committee, he is known to have reviewed each related matter regarding the disciplinary record inspection permitted by the committee over the past weekend.

After the disciplinary committee's decision on the disqualification motion, the main hearing, witness applications and acceptance, and statements of the respondent's opinions will follow. The key issue is the witness acceptance process. The witnesses requested by Yoon's side include seven people: Son Junsung, Head of Investigation Information at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; Park Youngjin, Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Division 2 at Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office; Ryu Hyuk, Inspector at the Ministry of Justice; Lee Seongyun, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office; Han Dongsu, Head of Inspection Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; Jung Jinwoong, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office; and Lee Junghwa, Prosecutor at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office.

Among them, Inspector Son Junsung, Chief Prosecutor Park Youngjin, and Inspector Ryu Hyuk attended the first review, so they are expected to appear again on this day. Prosecutor Lee Junghwa, who was additionally requested as a witness by Yoon's side during the first review, is also reported to have expressed willingness to attend.

Shim Jaecheol, Director of the Prosecutor's Office, is a witness who will present the Ministry of Justice's argument. He attended the first disciplinary committee as a member and a key aide to Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae but recused himself during the disqualification vote process and was then accepted as a witness.

Chief Prosecutor Lee Seongyun and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jung Jinwoong are highly likely to be absent. They are classified as personnel on Minister Choo's side and are expected to oppose Prosecutor General Yoon, but Yoon's side plans to summon them to hear their opinions. Lawyer Lee said, "There is no basis to compel attendance, but if they express an intention not to attend, we will request the disciplinary committee to issue a summons again," adding, "They are expected to represent the Ministry of Justice's position, so there is no reason for them not to come."

Because of this, there is also a possibility that the disciplinary committee will not reach a final conclusion on this day. The decision on witness applications and acceptance is scheduled for the afternoon, and the legal community expects the main review to start around 3 p.m. Considering that the questioning procedure for each witness usually takes more than an hour, it is said that it will be difficult to complete the witness questioning on the same day.

As there is a high possibility that the dispute will move to court in the future, the strategies of both sides are expected to become more intense. Yoon's side has already requested recordings and transcripts and stated on this day as well, "We will definitely record anything unfair and illegal." The disciplinary committee also allowed inspection and copying, except for the disclosure of the list of disciplinary committee members, to build a rationale that the right to defense was guaranteed. The disciplinary committee postponed the review twice, and some expect that the committee will present additional dates, accepting Yoon's side's position.

A lawyer with a prosecution background said, "If the disciplinary committee grants the defense side an opportunity for questioning, it will take a long time just to review the questioning records and statements submitted by both sides, making it difficult to reach a conclusion on the same day," adding, "They may finish only the witness questioning on this day and make a judgment after hearing the final positions of both sides on an additional date."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.